Resilience to Climate Change in Ethiopia (2021-2025): Tracking Changes and Unpacking Intra-household Responses (Third Survey Report)

This report presents findings from the third round of a longitudinal study tracking climate resilience among 1,964 rural households across 40 woredas in Ethiopia from 2021 to 2025. A collaboration between Ethiopia’s Policy Studies Institute (PSI), University of Copenhagen Development Economics Research Group (UCPH-DERG) and Oxford Policy Management (OPM), this report provides critical evidence for policy-making by documenting how households adapt to climate shocks over time and describing the outcomes of three flagship government programs: the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), Sustainable Land Management Project (SLMP), and Agricultural Growth Programme (AGP).

Major findings in the report include:

• Persistent Gender Inequalities Despite Program Investments – While land certification expanded from 67% to 74% of households, male control over land ownership simultaneously increased from 27% to 45%, indicating that formal improvements may not translate into gender equity.
  
• Limited Agricultural Technology Adoption– Despite substantial program investments, technology adoption shows stagnation. By 2025, 30% of households adopted none of the three key modern technologies (improved seeds, fertilizer, agrochemicals), representing an increase from 22% in 2021.
  
• Program-Specific Outcomes and Sustainability– PSNP areas show the highest participation in non-farm activities but generate the lowest returns, indicating engagement in necessity-driven rather than opportunity-based enterprises.
  
• Climate Shock Exposure and Household Responses- Drought exposure increased from 24% of households in 2021 to 28% in 2023, with the Somali region experiencing near-universal exposure (98%).

Available at: https://doi.org/10.55158/DEEPRP1

Read the findings summary here